<< >> NASA ASRS Report 542642, March 2002

C150 pilot smelled smoke during short cross country and declared an emergency and landed in a field off airport when the engine quit.

Attributes
ACN	542642
Time
Date	200203
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : tiw.airport
State Reference	WA
Altitude	msl single value : 2500
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : tiw.tower tower : sjc.tower
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Cessna 150
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	cruise : level
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : cfi pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 65 flight time total : 400 flight time type : 115
ASRS Report	542642
Person 2
Affiliation	other
Function	observation : passenger
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other anomaly other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : landed in emergency condition flight crew : declared emergency other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Aircraft
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

While flying north from olm to tiw, I smelled smoke. There was no indication from gauges that anything was wrong. Approximately 3 mins later, the engine quit. I declared an emergency with tacoma tower and landed the plane on a field on mcneil island. There was no damage and my 1 passenger and I were not injured. The cause was later determined to be that the muffler came loose under the cowling flying some of the electrical wires on the firewall and eventually burning through the magneto ground wire.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C150 PLT SMELLED SMOKE DURING SHORT XCOUNTRY AND DECLARED AN EMER AND LANDED IN A FIELD OFF ARPT WHEN THE ENG QUIT.

Narrative: WHILE FLYING N FROM OLM TO TIW, I SMELLED SMOKE. THERE WAS NO INDICATION FROM GAUGES THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG. APPROX 3 MINS LATER, THE ENG QUIT. I DECLARED AN EMER WITH TACOMA TWR AND LANDED THE PLANE ON A FIELD ON MCNEIL ISLAND. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE AND MY 1 PAX AND I WERE NOT INJURED. THE CAUSE WAS LATER DETERMINED TO BE THAT THE MUFFLER CAME LOOSE UNDER THE COWLING FLYING SOME OF THE ELECTRICAL WIRES ON THE FIREWALL AND EVENTUALLY BURNING THROUGH THE MAGNETO GND WIRE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.